WHY BE FRAGRANCE FREE?

Part of EBMC's mission is that we are rooted in diversity and
committed to building inclusive community. This is an ongoing invitation
to a practice of openness, compassion and constant learning.

An increasing number of people in our community are harmed by a
variety of common chemicals and fragrances -- due to allergies, asthma
or other chemical sensitivity, they may have difficulty breathing,
migraine headaches, flu-like symptoms and more. When we come to EBMC
having used products on our bodies or clothing that include fragrances
or chemicals, those who are allergic or sensitive are faced with the
choice to stay and get sick or leave and be excluded.

Please practice with this awareness at EBMC, and help us make
EBMC accessible to all by coming to EBMC fragrance free. May we all be
healthy and free from harm.

HOW TO BE FRAGRANCE FREE?

Important things do:

Wear clothes laundered in fragrance-free laundry detergent

Avoid laundry softeners such as “Bounce.”

Use fragrance-free soap, shampoo and hair products

Use fragrance-free lotion

Avoid cologne, aftershave lotion, and perfume

Read the ingredient labels on all products used on your body or clothing

Test each product with your nose or ask a friend with a good
sense of smell. Many products are mistakenly marked “unscented” or
“fragrance-free” (but actually contain masking scents that can be very
harmful).

Don’t be afraid to trust your naturally occurring pheromones rather than using added-on scents!

For more information about being fragrance free, please read the
articles and resources linked in the right-side column of this page.

(PARTIAL) LIST OF FRAGRANCE-FREE PRODUCTS

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list -- new fragrance-free products are emerging every day.

Please note that many products are made by manufacturers who also
make scented products. Be sure to buy the unscented or fragrance-free
variety!

An excellent all-around product for use in washing body, hands,
hand wash laundry and housecleaning is Dr Bronner's Organic Pure-Castille Liquid
Soap - Unscented. It's very concentrated and only a small amount is used
by diluting it in water. This is one of the soaps used at EBMC.

PRODUCTS ESPECIALLY GOOD FOR POC HAIR & SKIN

Shea butter with no fragrance added -- available at Ashby Flea Market, and online at www.back2africa.com

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding. "Black owned
hair product line; the 'sensitive sniffer' curly creme is unscented.
People have wildly different opinions on Miss Jessie's- some love
it, some think it's super drying and overrated." Avaialble online at http://missjessies.com/ and at Target, and some Walgreens. Their toll-free number is 1-888-JESSIE-6.

Naani products, available at http://naanisnaturals.com
. Click on “fragrance free” in the “Shop naani products” column.
Fragrance-free products include shea butter crèmes and a lotion spray.

Alba Botanica Very Emollient Unscented Original Body Lotion; can be used on dry or curly hair and scalp (available at drugstores)

Eucerin Calming Creme, Fragrance Free; can be used on dry or curly hair and scalp (available at health food stores)

African black soft soap (traditional, unscented) available from James Quartey (who
is a direct distributor for women and children in his native Ghana;
cell is 713-703-0241 – I’ve been buying his soap for 2 years and love
it! --Diana).

Homemade dusting powder: Make a mixture of
cornstarch and baking soda. Use this as a dusting power under arms or
wherever desired. For a ready-to-use product, go to www.bodytime.com and look for "dusting powder" under the after bath products.

"Alkaseltzer Gold is very useful to take before a known exposure or during/after an accidental one. I've had cases where I feel a full blown reaction coming on and take some Gold and am able to thwart the process."

Much of this knowledge was gathered from resources created and compiled by others, including Dana Lion, Peggy Munson, Alice Kosten, and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha. Special thanks to them! This is a living document and contributions are always welcome.